Common Reed
Common reed is a tall, perennial grass which may grow as tall as 13 feet, and is sometimes equated to or confused with giant reed, Arundo donax, which has a larger lighter or tawny colored inflorescence (clustered flowers) than common reed. Both plants are found in swamps, marshes, and along the shorelines of ditches and canals in fresh or brackish waters. Common reed can establish itself in water several feet deep or on high ground where soil with the rhizomes (horizontal underground stems) were moved with fill.